1. RazzBerry's Avatar
    Tired of Verizon and their anti-BlackBerry attitude!

    Went to a Verizon store and asked to see the Z30. The salesman rolled his eyes up and said, "oh" in a very disappointed voice. I asked him if he had a problem selling me a Z30 and he said, "No, it's just not a very good phone." I then asked if I needed to get another salesperson to help me.

    Brent tried to steer me towards the Galaxy s5 and the iPhone. I told him I wasn't interested in either. Brent had the nerve to look at me and say, "Yea, YOU look like someone who'd like BlackBerries." What the H*LL does that mean?

    Brent had the nerve to tell me BlackBerries weren't stocked because they sell so poorly. How can you sell a phone that's not in stock I ask!

    I eventually walked out of the store after dealing with his very disappointed attitude with me and decided to get a Z30 anyway.

    But I can't buy one with out going directly through Verizon's website. Not one Z30 stocked in stores. So that means I have to wait days to have my phone and yes, I can wait, but wouldn't it be nice if I could have the luxury of setting up and enjoying my new phone on the few days I have off this week??

    BlackBerry was once a great force in the USA. What has happened that they no longer "sell" (market) their own products and insist they be backed up by the carriers??

    You can't find accessories for BlackBerries in stores. You can't find the phones in stock at stores.

    Maybe BlackBerry should remember what made them great once!

    Yea, I hated paying for the email, but heck, It was fantastic, immediate service. It was secure. The phones were quality and felt like it in your hands.

    Maybe BlackBerry would do best to make their own carrier and sell their phones and services that way. Heck, I wouldn't even blame them for carrying a Droid or two! LOL! I just want to walk into a store that is excited to see I want to BUY a BlackBerry!

    Am I alone or is any one else as frustrated as I am with the Big Red and other carriers????
    TrueKulcha, CMcRob and 46Nico40 like this.
    04-19-14 08:34 PM
  2. The Big Picture's Avatar
    Wow that really takes the cake.

    I know that the carriers have their iphone and android sales targets but its getting ridiculous.

    I do wish BlackBerry could start their own cell service. But im almost 100 percent sure the US govenment will not issue them a licence.

    Q10SQN100-3/10.2.1.2228, Z30, Z10, iP5, SGS3
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-19-14 08:37 PM
  3. howarmat's Avatar
    They did have their own retail stores and they closed most of them due to cost cutting. Being their own carrier is very costly also and for a company that is not making money this isnt the best investment
    04-19-14 08:37 PM
  4. RazzBerry's Avatar
    They did have their own retail stores and they closed most of them due to cost cutting. Being their own carrier is very costly also and for a company that is not making money this isnt the best investment
    Yes, I get the practicalities. And I don't really mean just retail stores but actual full blown carrier services.

    Can't be that bad of an investment if you keep seeing companies like Cricket, Virgin, Ting, Creedo and others cropping up.

    How can BB ever come back if they do not INSIST the carriers back them up? How can they tolerate the attitudes people are getting in the stores when they try to buy a BB?
    04-19-14 09:05 PM
  5. RazzBerry's Avatar
    Just wanted to add this info on some improvement of the views on the BB10 OS since last year. You can check out the data for yourself from 2013 numbers here to 2014 numbers here.
    CMcRob likes this.
    04-19-14 09:42 PM
  6. ultra07's Avatar
    I got my Z30 from Verizon a few days ago. It had to be ordered, 2 day shipping. (over night if ordered through Verizon.com)! The salesman was very nice and never tried to stear me to any thing else. They had a working Z30 on display. Some of the problems may with the store rating. I went to a Verizon "A" store, every other Verizon store in my area is rated a "c" store. I love the Z30! Coming from a BB 9850 is a big jump. Glad I did it!
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-19-14 09:53 PM
  7. Marauder2's Avatar
    I think they should start with a few stores, in the biggest malls around. Just a few here and there and if it really helps and things see looking better, gradually open more.

    Sell left over stock of Playbooks, accessories, OS7 devices, BB10, have set up tutorials, a BES experience section where you see the benefits and see the differences.

    But, make sure all the display items have netflix, Instagram, etc running.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry and smitty1077 like this.
    04-19-14 09:58 PM
  8. RazzBerry's Avatar
    I got my Z30 from Verizon a few days ago. It had to be ordered, 2 day shipping. (over night if ordered through Verizon.com)! The salesman was very nice and never tried to stear me to any thing else. They had a working Z30 on display. Some of the problems may with the store rating. I went to a Verizon "A" store, every other Verizon store in my area is rated a "c" store. I love the Z30! Coming from a BB 9850 is a big jump. Glad I did it!
    How do you find the ratings please?
    04-19-14 10:17 PM
  9. smitty1077's Avatar
    I think they should start with a few stores, in the biggest malls around. Just a few here and there and if it really helps and things see looking better, gradually open more.

    Sell left over stock of Playbooks, accessories, OS7 devices, BB10, have set up tutorials, a BES experience section where you see the benefits and see the differences.

    But, make sure all the display items have netflix, Instagram, etc running.

    Posted via CB10
    I like this idea. I think they opened a store in Dubai fairly recently and may open more depending on how things go at this one. I think Toronto, New York, LA, Montreal and Chicago should all get a store and use them to grow the brand and educate customers. BlackBerry has amazing devices and more people would buy them if they could test them and get vital information about the phone.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-19-14 10:26 PM
  10. tufcustomer's Avatar
    Brent had the nerve to look at me and say, "Yea, YOU look like someone who'd like BlackBerries." What the H*LL does that mean?

    Sinking to someone's level is never the right thing, however being a customer this would have been the point in which that rep would have heard and earful on my behalf. I don't care if it wouldn't do anything, arrogance needs to be put in its place.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-19-14 11:30 PM
  11. eyesopen1111's Avatar
    I have never seen anything as bad as BlackBerry's carrier relations regarding USA availability. What is even more absurd is that you cannot get your hands on a Z30, even with its "exclusive" U.S. partner Verizon! What!? Your exclusive partner in a major market won't even stock your flagship device?! Pathetic.

    I'm a lawyer in Houston, a big city by most measures, and I cannot put my hand on a Z30. I call Verizon stores and have no luck. Nada. I saw absolutely no benefit flow to BlackBerry from this exclusivity arrangement and I wonder how Verizon is not in breach because they aren't doing much of anything for BlackBerry.

    Online is not much better. Craigslist sellers want about $315-375 for new Verizon phones that they ordered and from which they immediately switched away. This should be the Z30's offered price range, not $500. This is also the price range in much of eBay for the Z30.

    GSMArena.com has a the Z30's popularity as being less than the Z10's and at a level so low, I haven't seen it's likes before.

    Of course Chen has also kicked T-Mobile to the curb, so that's delightful.

    I say BlackBerry should lower prices of the Z30 on the its website until the phones start to sell at a faster clip and people get them in hand. Nothing is more fatal than this level of irrelevance is.

    Sent from my BB Z10 running OS 10.3.0.140.
    RazzBerry and dejanh like this.
    04-20-14 02:15 AM
  12. androidphanatic's Avatar
    I share the frustration about the ignorance of the sales people. More so is because they just suck at sales. However, how can I really blame them?

    I still blame BlackBerry for this. BlackBerry has don't zero marketing of the z30 and one crappy commercial for the z10. How can they create interest in the phone? Sometimes I think if it was not for the crackberry nation they wouldn't ever get phones sold. Simple put, outside of loyal BlackBerry customers people switching over is pretty slow. Is it wrong for version to take the phones out of the store if they are not selling? It's taking up space. At least they are keeping the phones sold on their website ( one thing BlackBerry should have done sooner. )

    Now to bring this full circle. I've never sold phones. But don't the sales people get something for every phone they sell? Being extra money or whatever? Like commission?
    So while they have you in the store why is it wrong that they try to put you on a phone there? I'm sure they won't get a commission if you order on line. Not their fault. They are just working to make and extra buck.

    So BlackBerry does no marketing = no interest = stores not stocking = sales people trying to sell you something else while you're there = you angry at the rep for trying to sell you another device.

    All in all I blame blackberry.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-20-14 09:20 AM
  13. LonelyTylenoL's Avatar
    Craigslist sellers want about $315-375 for new Verizon phones that they ordered and from which they immediately switched away.
    How does this work? Do you mean they buy a subsidized Verizon Z30 with a 2- year contract, then bail out by paying the $350 early termination fee?
    Last edited by LonelyTylenoL; 04-20-14 at 01:49 PM.
    04-20-14 01:31 PM
  14. howarmat's Avatar
    Craigslist sellers want about $315-375 for new Verizon phones that they ordered and from which they immediately switched away.
    How does this work? Do you mean they buy a subsidized Verizon Z30 with a 2- year contract, then bail out by paying the $350 early termination fee?
    you dont have to pay the termination fee if you keep the line active. I am sure they have another phone that is activated on the line.
    04-20-14 01:46 PM
  15. habs_fan's Avatar
    They did have their own retail stores and they closed most of them due to cost cutting. Being their own carrier is very costly also and for a company that is not making money this isnt the best investment
    Huh? Where did BlackBerry have a retail store in North America? I've heard of couple in India, out that way I believe. And one in an airport. But I've never heard of any real retail NA store

    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 02:01 PM
  16. Rasheed White's Avatar
    word of mouth is the best form of advertising.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-20-14 02:04 PM
  17. mnmikeinsc's Avatar
    There is a phone company that was started by a bunch old ID Military retirees - BlackBerry should join up w/a start up Co.......this is just an example

    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 07:17 PM
  18. mnmikeinsc's Avatar
    Defensemobile.net

    This is the Veteran run Ph Co.

    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 07:31 PM
  19. Stevebez's Avatar
    If BlackBerry wants to succeed in the us, they should start a MVNO with either AT&T or T-mobile, so they are on a GSM network. Sell the airtime/data at or just above cost, but make it so you can only get a sim card in a BlackBerry store, which could be really small, even a kiosk size place. Charge a nominal fee for a sim card, say $15, but make them free with a new BB10 device. Put the counter in the back of the store, so people have to walk past the phones on display. DO NOT display Playbooks and BB7 devices, they are the old guard. You want to display BlackBerry as a forward-thinking company.


    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-20-14 07:41 PM
  20. LoneStarRed's Avatar
    I had a similar experience to the OP when I went to a Sprint store looking for a Q10. The manager herself said "BlackBerry is going out of business. " I was peeved and ended up walking out empty-handed. Went for Ebay and got a Z10.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-20-14 07:53 PM
  21. Charger27's Avatar
    We have the same trouble here in Canada.
    Fewer electronics and mobile stores all the time are carrying anything by way of Blackberry products.
    And I blame... BLACKBERRY.
    There is next to no advertising exposure, and support for products that are not the most current (like Playbook) is shoddy at best.
    They are not giving the retailers and app creators anything to work with!
    The good Blackberry name? Sorry, that ship has sailed - along with their market share.

    I run a Z30 and Playbook 64 currently.
    But unless there is some tech advancement and significant upgrades in the next couple years, I will be looking at another product next time around.
    It galls me to say Apple... but for added features such as Siri for example, it may be value enough to convince me to switch.
    04-20-14 08:01 PM
  22. bjschey's Avatar
    It seems every store has different opinions on BlackBerry. My local Verizon store is pretty BlackBerry friendly, even if they don't have a Z30 on display. They say they sell quite a few Q10's and services many legacy and BB10 devices. However, other stores are quite hateful towards BlackBerry, and don't even have anything BlackBerry, or don't get many people needing service for them. So, it really depends on the area and the reps working in the store.

    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 08:04 PM
  23. smitty1077's Avatar
    In Canada I find reps are pretty BlackBerry friendly. I've never been laughed at or questioned for asking about BlackBerry. Actually, when I bought my Z10 (and I made it known I was switching from my iPhone 4s) they encouraged my decision and really thought highly of BB10.

    Posted via CB10
    RazzBerry likes this.
    04-20-14 08:36 PM
  24. Barefoot_Kevin's Avatar
    Huh? Where did BlackBerry have a retail store in North America? I've heard of couple in India, out that way I believe. And one in an airport. But I've never heard of any real retail NA store

    Posted via CB10
    They had one at the Atlanta airport for a while. Stopped in several times when I was flying through on business. Haven't been through Atlanta in a couple of years though, so I don't know if it is still there.



    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 09:02 PM
  25. kfehling's Avatar
    If BlackBerry opened a store in my area, I would volunteer to work there for free in my spare time.

    Posted via CB10
    04-20-14 09:32 PM
38 12

Similar Threads

  1. BlackBerry Z30 vs Galaxy S5?
    By olga421 in forum BlackBerry Z30
    Replies: 145
    Last Post: 04-21-14, 10:52 AM
  2. Available on iPhone and Android.....
    By shakingthrough in forum General BlackBerry News, Discussion & Rumors
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 04-20-14, 04:05 PM
  3. Ok I have a confession
    By Ali Malik1 in forum BlackBerry Z10
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 04-20-14, 05:13 AM
  4. Blackberry Link
    By haitham93 in forum Desktop Software
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 04-20-14, 03:25 AM
  5. Replies: 3
    Last Post: 04-19-14, 07:13 PM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD